Monthly Archives: August 2007

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This painting is practicing Wabi-Sabi as is talked about in Neda Doany’s blog here and here again. Irene commented on the progression on this image over the last couple of days as being related to the idea of change and impermanence being part of life.

I feel very delighted that Irene would think that “apparently you have no angst of becoming in the process of growing into some more.” Not true but perhaps I am making progress on my own self and being and creating. This blog, the blogosphere and the support of you fantastic bloggers has moved me ahead in my own creative process to take more risks and be more relaxed in showing work that I haven’t honed and tweaked within an inch of its life.

It is nurturing a playfulness and enjoyment and sharing with others that hasn’t always been true for me around art. In the several art classes I took years ago it was more true for me – we had to produce, produce and produce. And I got some good paintings out of the whole process.

In a way blogging is like that for me – I have a community that I feel a responsibility to create new paintings for. It is a stretching myself for me and my art but also for you – it is very useful to me.

This post tonight is honor of excellence in play. Something that I strive for as an artist. Cirque du Soleil is incredible! (the people not my painting) And I am working to be more in joy more often again! What do you say?

This painting is also a tip of the hat to Harry Potter. It took me about 10 tries before I got the “eye” how I wanted it. It is amazing to me how the name of an image can change the whole way I look at it.

Answering some comments from previous posts … Sue O’Kieffe, to answer your question, I am looking at the blog (and particularly the paintings) on my CRT monitor, and I see a bit of a color difference, but not much at all. With all my files they are a little different on the large monitor upstairs versus my laptop. Mac vs PC can come into it too.

I am ready to print “In the Cathedral” but waiting for Susan to come home to put her image into the file too to save paper … but it looks good on the screen and usually it prints pretty closely … except the purples are usually too reddish when printed from Photoshop files … so I may need to work on that … We shall see!

Sue, it is neat the way we work so similarly!! I enjoy working and painting when I feel that I am at least as much as vehicle as a creator. For me it is so much more fun!

Update – the purple printed redder than I see on the screen.Â I think I should have chosen all the purple and shifted that color somehow to a more bluer purple.Â But this is the consistent off-printing that happens.Â It is pretty close but not exact.Â And I tried to adjust the saturation on certain colors, but I couldn’t get it how I wanted … so I printed to see what happened – but it looks great!

Time to look upward and be inspired! Day to day can result in so much getting lost in the details … and then there is stepping back and looking at the big picture. I figure a cathedral that was designed and built to direct our attention to the lofty and to the uplifting was a good place to start. So here is my offer to help each of us be reminded of the whole awesome the whole life force truly is.

In answer to your question … I heard it out there in the stratosphere … I usually start by working with the image itself (particularly in digital) and then ask the painting what it is wanting to communicate. I listen the best I can and then give it a name to call attention to the purpose it was letting me know about. I am directing attention to what I hear the image is expressing.

Today I wrote lots in response to your comments … as comments on the posts.Â I now have the two bug projects I have been working on in pretty good shape … so I can start to catch up with life … hopefully! Â So I am taking a day off to visit this painting.

If you look at this eye and meditate, you will hear and see all the answers from your recent comments and questions (keep them coming, please!) If this painting doesn’t reveal it all to you, you will have to wait until tomorrow to hear it from my own fingers …. Fantastic comments!!

I have been hard at work on my CafePress shop (www.cafepress.com/dianeclancy)!Â I found out that a particular file format was the best one to use for the brightest, clearest images.Â So I am changing them all. Also I am beginning to understand the importance of a story with a painting to draw people in … so I have been busy.

As I checked my email, I saw that Neda has been very busy here commenting and asking good questions … I will answer soon – to the best of my ability.Â Thank you so much to all of you who have been commenting .. tomorrow I will be here more.Â I am delighted that some of you are taking the time to comment – thank you!!

One of the things I am particularly enjoying about this process of digital painting is my sense of being silly and having fun. Sometimes my silliness gets separated from my painting because I want to make sure I am reverent. But with the digital, somehow it seems ok to just be silly with the paintings and with the names.

Many of this last series of images the last month or two, I would never do in paper or canvas and paint. For me, there is something about this medium … partly the immediacy with the tools I am using … that really bring out my silliness.

So many of them look like silly little creatures. Sue O’Kieffe also had mentioned a quote from a famous person about painting from the unconscious (or subconscious) caused figures to emerge. Somehow that also helps me feel good about these silly little beings that are emerging.

How about you? What happens when you let yourself be silly when creating?

It is delightful that we are talking with each other about these issues of creativity and supporting each other as artists. For me, it is much different doing things digitally than with paper or canvas and paint. Lately I have been sitting down with an image and just saying – “go ahead and change it.”

First, actually I cruise a bunch of images and see who speaks to me. Someone jumps out and yells, “me, me me!” So I say, “OK.” I don’t have anything in mind … I work from the process before me with the Studio Artist program. That is how I have made most of these images lately … and often gone into Photoshop for while too.

It is much scarier for me with paper and paint. Though I used a similar technique for using paper and tempera for awhile and 2 of those images are very popular ones of mine. With paint I feel I have to create something “special” to justify using resources and stuff .. so it is much harder to create.

Also, with paint and paper or canvas, sometimes I do sit down with a specific idea – like to create another image in a series. Allowing myself to play obviously works much better. And I absolutely agree with Sue – don’t worry too much about being original.

Start with something that you want to do and constantly stretch yourself. Hard as it is, try to compare yourself to you – not to anyone else. Though that is easier to say than to do!Â I know!Â What else are you thinking?